Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Textiles and Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal addressing media persons in New Delhi on May 03, 2023.
| Photo Credit: KAMAL NARANG
Union Minister for Commerce, Consumer Affairs and Food Piyush Goyal said here on Wednesday that the Centre was implementing Quality Control Orders (QCOs) on several products and services for faster adoption and alignment with world standards. He said the QCOs would help India have the same quality products as used in large markets worldwide, and hence importers abroad would have confidence in Indian goods. He noted that the National Quality Mission also included sensitising citizens so that they started demanding good quality products. He was talking to reporters on implementing standards through QCOs and standardisation in emerging technology sectors such as drones and electric vehicles.
He said no new QCOs were introduced without adequate and repeated industry consultations. “In the leather and footwear sector, we issued three QCOs in October, 2020 after consultations with industries. If in two and a half years, somebody has not yet become compliant, then there is vested interest, which we cannot fulfil. Consumers in the country are not ready to accept low quality products,” he said and added that QCOs would reduce wastage and bring down prices.
“No one has the right to play with the lives of people. No one has the right to dump low-quality products in India,” Mr. Goyal said. The Minister said a perception was being spread that QCOs were being implemented to stop imports. “It is not true. Our attempt is to change the mindset of the consumers towards quality products,” he added.
The Centre said a total of 115 QCOs covering 493 products have been notified for compulsory Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification. The BIS has formulated the Indian Standards (IS 17799:2022) for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles – drones for agricultural purposes. “This standard would ensure the design and maintenance requirements such as requirements of control and stability, propulsion system, flight control system, geo-fencing, the performance of various subsystems such as control systems, mission profile, software under various environmental conditions of temperature, pressure, humidity, rain, vibration,” a government release said. Similarly, BIS has formulated five Indian Standards on e-vehicles and charging Infrastructure too.
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